The weight vest is heavy. The summer heat is relentless. But for Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown, it's all part of the plan. It's a plan designed not just to build muscle, but to forge a new mentality—a toughness that the Tigers' defense is banking on to return to their championship-level glory.
Brown, a rising star in the Tigers’ defense, pinpointed two key areas for improvement after a thorough self-scouting process: block destruction and zone drop recognition.
“Those were kind of two things, looking back last year, where I just felt like I really needed to work on,” Brown explained. “I took some time in the offseason and the spring, and over the summer, just kind of self-scouting, looking at games from last year, looking at the spring practices, and figuring out what I needed to get better at.”
The arrival of new defensive coordinator Tom Allen has been a catalyst for change. Allen's focus on feel and awareness has reshaped how the linebackers approach their responsibilities in coverage. Instead of fixating on a quarterback or receiver, Allen preaches a broader perspective.
“He really focuses in your drops about keeping your eyes ready and making sure that you know what's around you and not staring straight at a receiver,” Brown said. “Just being able to feel what's around you and break on the ball.”
The Weight of Mentality
Physicality isn't just about what happens on the field; it's about the mindset forged in the offseason. Under the leadership of former Clemson linebacker and now coach Ben Boulware, the unit has adopted a grueling practice regimen to build mental toughness.
“The sole reasoning for that was mentality,” Brown stated, referring to the linebackers wearing weight vests during practice. “We're going to be tougher than everybody that we play. We're going to try to gain an edge in anything that we can.”
The idea, Brown revealed, came from Boulware himself, who wore a weight vest during his own legendary 2016 campaign. Boulware’s intensity, both as a player and a coach, has been a driving force.
“He's played the game; he's played at the highest level in the national championship,” Brown said. “He knows what it’s like to be in our shoes and what we're seeing and what we’re feeling, but another thing is just intensity. He’s a very intense person. If you couldn't tell when he played, when he's a coach, it's exactly the same.”
The Brotherhood Built Off the Field
While intensity fuels the on-field performance, the bond that holds the linebacker room together is forged away from the gridiron. Brown and his teammates have dedicated themselves to building a brotherhood through shared adventures.
“A couple of us also did go rafting at one point this summer. That was definitely an adventure,” Brown recalled with a smile. “We’ve none of us have ever rafted before, so that was really fun.”
This off-field camaraderie, Brown believes, is the secret ingredient to a cohesive defense.
“When you can really relate to a guy off the field, it just makes you so much tighter on the field,” he said. “I know that the guy next to me is my brother, and he’s willing to die for me even if we’re not playing football. The confidence that I have in that guy next to me just makes a world's difference.”
A Special Season Ahead?
The Tigers are looking to reclaim their spot atop the ACC, and the linebackers are leading the charge. With the team's motto of "one play, one series, one day" guiding them, the focus is on constant improvement.
“We've definitely got a chance, but at the end of the day, we just got to take it one day at a time,” Brown emphasized.
And with his newfound confidence in his role as the leader of the defense, Brown feels ready to take that next step.
“I've definitely taken a step forward in that. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I think just the confidence in knowing that I know what I'm doing has definitely played a big role in that,” he said. “Going into fall camp last year, it was like, I might know how to do this, I might not, but we’re gonna see what happens. I’ve got pretty good confidence in what I'm doing and where I'm supposed to be.”
Will that confidence and the brotherhood forged this offseason be enough to get the Tigers back to the promised land? Only time will tell.